Change in the Weather
by Jessa4865
Summary: When Carter and Fusco try to take Reese into custody, they get more than they bargained for.  Carter/Reese; COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Change in the Weather  
>Jezyk<br>Disclaimer: Not mine

Part One

Harold was disappointed. Reese couldn't say he wasn't himself. But despite his boss' insistence that he leave the child and save himself, he couldn't do it. Kirsten was only a few days past her sixth birthday, having had the unimaginable terror of being abducted from her birthday party by a perverted psycho already inflicted on her. Reese couldn't bring himself to unwrap the girl's tiny arms from his neck where they'd been locked ever since he promised her he'd take her home to her mommy.

The problem was that he could hardly drop her off anywhere without arousing suspicion and so he was trapped. Ignoring Harold's pleas, Reese called Fusco. The last thing he wanted to do was get himself locked up and Fusco was the best chance he had. Carter would arrest him as soon as look at him, no matter how many times he'd helped her and, though he didn't hold that against her, he decided Fusco was a better risk. Fusco had a kid, so maybe having rescued yet another one would garner him some brownie points.

What he didn't count on, however, was Fusco's car having a second occupant.

Reese fixed his eyes on Carter, always happy to see her despite the preposterousness of the idea. Then he turned to Fusco and frowned. "I'm disappointed in you, Lionel. Haven't we talked about this?"

Fusco shrugged, though he had the sense to look ashamed. "She was already in the car. You said it was an emergency." He looked around. "This doesn't look like an emergency. You made me drive three hours to give you a ride home, you son of a bitch."

Before Reese had a chance to respond, Carter's voice interrupted, her eyes wide with both anger and surprise. "You two know each other? What the-"

Reese glared at Fusco, who was backing away from both of them. "I didn't say it was an emergency. I said it was important. And I don't need a ride."

Carter, who'd had her hand on her gun the whole time, folded her arms over her chest. "Just what the hell is going on here?"

With a smile, Reese turned back to her. "Lionel and I go way back."

Fusco shook his head, evidently more fearful of Carter than Reese. "He's got me by the balls. I didn't have a choice!"

She unsnapped her holster, pursing her lips and glancing back and forth between the men. "I'm going to shoot one of you. I just haven't decided which one yet."

"If you're looking for suggestions, I'd vote for Lionel." Reese nodded toward the girl who had looked up from where she'd buried her face in his neck. "If you shoot me, I might drop her."

Face twisted in anger and resignation, Carter snapped the holster closed again. "Hell, you already have enough bullet holes." She looked at Fusco. "We'll discuss this later. Hope you weren't counting on your pension." And then her eyes fixed on Reese again. "This your kid?"

Reese shook his head. "This is Kirsten Szymanski."

The detectives' eyes widened. The Amber Alert had gone out almost a week earlier. Everyone in the country was looking for the little green-eyed girl.

Carter's mouth dropped open. "You took her?"

Fusco shook his head. "No way, hurting kids isn't his thing."

Carter stepped forward, speaking to the child in a soft, comforting tone. "Kirsten, I'm a police officer. My name's Jocelyn. I'm here to take you home."

Kirsten sized Carter up for a moment, then shook her head. "John's taking me home." She glanced at Reese. "You promised."

Reese shrugged. "I did promise, detective. And I think she's had enough disappointment recently. She didn't even get to have her birthday cake."

Trying to stave off anything more frightening for the girl, Carter smiled. "I'm sure your mom and dad saved it for you." She turned back to Reese, her voice still soft, her eyes hard. "I'm still going to take you into custody."

Reese smiled. "I'm sure you'll try."

#####

In deference to Kirsten's mental health, the detectives reported that they had found her and were transporting her home. Her parents were understandably grateful, thanking the pair of homicide detectives who returned their child.

The mother, upon spotting Reese in the back of the cruiser, ran over, banging on the window and shouting. "Why did you take my daughter? What did you do to her? You bastard, I'll kill you!"

Reese said nothing, instead being rescued by the precious six-year-old in her father's arms. "That's my friend John, mama. He saved me from the bad man."

Mrs. Szymanski's anger disappeared, immediately replaced by an attempt to get the door open so she could hug him. "Thank you! Thank you so much for saving my baby!"

Fusco looked on with amusement as Reese was declared an angel sent by God. Carter tried to maintain an irritated glare, but it morphed into a smile despite her best efforts. They managed to slip away before the media frenzy that had been following the story caught on to the idea that the child had been found.

Fusco drove a few miles away before he pulled over and demanded Reese get out of the car. When Carter inquired why, Fusco shrugged. "Bastard threw a grenade under my seat first time I had him in custody. I'm not letting it happen again."

Reese put his hands on the roof of the car while Fusco frisked him, pulling two nine millimeter pistols from his belt, as well as his cell phone. "I'm proud of you, Lionel. You're learning."

"Get out of the way, Fusco." Carter sounded annoyed as she shoved her partner to the side. "This guy was CIA; you're going to have to do better than that." She'd patted down a lot of dangerous types in her career both in homicide and in the army. By the time she'd finished, she'd handed Fusco a .22 and a hunting knife Reese had concealed.

Still, she wasn't satisfied. She ordered Reese to turn around and met his eyes. "You got any grenades on you?"

With a smirk, Reese reached into his coat pocket, withdrew a small round canister and handed it to the detective.

She was smiling, against her better judgment, at his audacity. "Is that it? You have anything else on you?"

Reese shook his head.

Mostly out of embarrassment, Fusco grabbed Reese's collar, roughly yanking Reese's coat and suit coat from his shoulders. "I don't trust him."

Allowing the layers to be removed, Reese stood patiently. "I've never tried to kill you, Lionel, which is more than you can say to me."

"You threw a grenade in my car." The detective was flustered, his cheeks growing red. "And you shot me!"

As always, the more upset others grew, the calmer Reese became. "I made sure you were wearing your vest first."

Carter withdrew her cuffs. "Put your hands behind your back. And don't try anything. I will shoot you."

"I know that, detective." Reese stared at her for a moment before he complied, allowing her to lock his hands behind his back.

Carter opened the door, putting her hand on his head as she guided him into the car.

"We should knock him unconscious, Carter."

She glanced at her partner, then seemed to catch on to his reasoning and cocked her head as she met Reese's eyes. "Is that necessary, Mr. Reese?"

"I'd really prefer if you didn't."

And again, she was biting the insides of her cheeks to keep the smile off her face. "Are you going to throw any grenades at us?"

"I don't have any grenades left." He stared at the pair, the picture of docility, his hands cuffed behind him, the jacket that added an imposing width to his frame stripped away.

As angry at herself for being so easily taken in as she was at him, Carter slammed the door. "Let's go, Fusco. Pray to God we get back to the city in one piece."

Fusco grumbled as he tossed Reese's things in the trunk. "I still think we should knock him unconscious."

Carter shrugged as she climbed into the passenger's seat. "That's just going to piss him off."

#####

The snow started to fall just before the sun went down, raising the palpable tension level in the car. Fusco gripped the wheel tightly with both hands and sat up to stare intently out the windshield.

Although the silence had lasted the entire hour they'd been riding, curiosity got the better of Carter. She shifted slightly sideways in her seat, turning her head to face Reese. "Should I ask what happened to the man who took Kirsten?"

He took a deep breath before he looked back at her. "Not unless you want to know."

She raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"

Reese smiled for a moment. "He won't be hurting any more little girls, detective. That's all you need to know."

She nodded slowly. "So you killed him."

"I didn't say that."

Her eyes snapped back to his. "You didn't?"

"I really do try not to kill people. Sometimes they just don't give me a choice."

Fusco scoffed, butting into the conversation. "Oh, well, as long as they're asking for it, that makes it ok."

Reese caught his eyes in the rear view mirror. "They were all bad people, Lionel."

"How did you find Kirsten? How did you manage to catch up to her when all the cops and FBI couldn't figure it out?" She was shifting gears, hoping another tactic might work.

"I'm good at what I do."

"And just what is it that you do?" She had turned almost completely around in her seat, thoroughly engaged in the conversation.

Reese faced her with a blank stare. "I've been interrogated before, detective. I'm not going to give you anything."

"Odds are your CIA friends are going to swoop in and grab you as soon as we book you, so why don't you give us something? You like us better than you like them."

Reese's eyes stared forward, his gaze narrowed and intent on something in the distance. "Do I?"

Fusco laughed. "Sure you do. You haven't tried to kill us yet today."

"Are your seat belts fastened, detectives?" Reese watched at the pair exchanged a glance before both looked at him, Carter directly, Fusco through the mirror.

She spoke up, tugging at her shoulder belt. "Are you threatening us?"

"No, but we're about to be in a crash."

Fusco's eyes widened, glancing between the mirror and his partner. "What the hell?"

"You should keep your eyes on the road, Lionel." Reese nodded forward, drawing their attentions to the road.

A group of deer were amassed on the road, perhaps confused by the snow and early darkness of the winter.

"Jesus!" Fusco shouted while he jerked the wheel to the side. Carter grabbed the dashboard, her body tensing in anticipation. Reese forced his muscles to relax as the car started to slide, knowing tightened muscles would result in far worse injuries for his un-belted body riding between a hard plastic seat and a metal grate.

#####

Luckily, the damage was limited mostly to the car. Fusco and Carter, albeit shaken, were physically ok. Watching Fusco drag his thick frame from the tilted car that had come to rest in a deep ditch along the side of the road was almost funny, except that Carter was well aware that the car wasn't going anywhere any time soon which meant they'd be walking.

With an irritating, dangerous, yet somehow endearing prisoner in tow.

The fact that it was snowing and she was in heels only served to underscore how thoroughly unhappy she was with the situation. Not to mention how disappointed she was with her cell coverage or lack thereof.

The steep angle of the car made it impossible to open her door far enough to slip through it and she wound up having to haul herself up the slanted seat and out Fusco's door. As soon as she was free of the car, she glanced at Reese. He'd been sitting behind Fusco during the ride, but she hadn't hooked his seatbelt when she'd put him in the car, and so when it had fallen into the five-foot-deep ditch, Reese had fallen as well and was pressed against the rear passenger door.

Reese was sore, though he wasn't about to admit it, had a bruised cheek and a thin line of blood ran from a cut on his forehead. He turned his head to look up when Carter pulled the door open.

"John, are you ok?" She hated the concern that she knew was obvious in her voice.

Though it hurt his sore face to do so, he smiled at her. "Are you worried about me, Jos?"

"I don't need a prisoner dying in my custody."

He struggled to slide himself back up towards the open door, but it was impossible given the slippery surface of the plastic seat and his bound hands. "May I have the keys to the cuffs, please?"

She stared at him and shook her head. "Not a chance in hell."

"But I said 'please.'" He paused, waiting even though he knew his quip would have no effect. "Then you'll have to leave me here."

"The hell I will," she growled at him. "Fusco, get over here and help me."

Whining all the time about his sore back and neck, Fusco assisted Carter with dragging Reese from the car. Within seconds of being outside, the wet snow had seeped through his shirt and left him chilled.

"May I have my coat?"

"No." Carter was in no mood to discuss it further because it might indicate how uncertain she was that her search had been good enough. Reese was good, that much was obvious, especially with the way he'd handed over the grenade after she'd checked him as if to taunt her.

She began to walk in the direction they'd been headed. Fusco waited for Reese to follow, but the taller man didn't move. She turned around a moment later, feeling a chill run through her just seeing the man without a coat. "What the hell is taking so long? It's not going to get any warmer if we stand here."

Reese inclined his head in the opposite direction. "The next town is five miles south, but we passed one a couple miles back. It'll be a shorter walk." His eyes dropped to Carter's shoes, not needing to mention that he was well aware of how unprepared she was to walk far.

"How do you know that? You got a psychic gift you want to tell me about?"

Reese sighed. "We just passed a sign a few minutes ago. If you'd been paying attention, you would have seen it."

Carter looked at Fusco, not needing to say a word to reveal how uncertain she was. She didn't have a damn clue where the last town had been and she'd been looking at Reese so she didn't know if he was telling the truth about a sign. Fusco shrugged back; if he'd been paying any fucking attention they wouldn't have crashed in the first place.

Seeing the uncertainty in the pair, Reese tried to reason with them. "I'm the one here without a coat. I won't benefit from lying to you."

Resolve weakened by the shiver that ran through her, she nodded at the trunk. "Get his coat, Fusco."

"Hell no. Guy's probably got a submachine gun in there." He started walking in the direction Carter had originally gone in. "Let's go."

"Fusco," she was still unsure, but she pointed in the direction Reese had suggested. "This way."

Taking it personally, Fusco glared at her. "This guy tried to kill me, you know. You've been chasing him for months. The CIA wants him dead. And you're going to trust him over me?"

"Yeah."

Reese hid a smile. "Smart move, detective."

Frowning, she grabbed Reese's arm. "Don't make me regret this."

There was no legitimate reason for her to hold his arm. He knew it. He was cuffed and the road was covered with snow, so he wasn't running anywhere. Both the detectives were armed and unafraid to shoot him if need be, so he wasn't likely to try overpowering them, certainly not as long as they remained ten feet away from each other. He wasn't being uncooperative either, and even if he were, her delicate hand wrapped around his bicep wasn't going to achieve anything.

She wanted to touch him. It was obvious. He said nothing, simply looked at her for a moment, his eyes dancing. She gazed back, finally swallowing hard before she released his arm. "Go," she said with force and anger.

He chuckled softly as he started walking. As long as he wasn't the only one getting a kick out of it, he'd keep playing. Carter seemed receptive.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

The snow kept falling, as did the temperature. There were no lights on the road, and after an hour, it was growing difficult to even tell exactly where the road was. The detectives had stopped grouching at one another quite a while ago and, had he not been freezing his ass off, Reese might have enjoyed the walk. They'd wound up letting him lead, probably so they could both keep an eye on him and have a chance to shoot should he try anything.

But he noticed they were moving slower, Fusco's weight forcing him to huff and puff while Carter's heels continually slid out from under her if she took too large a step. He slowed his pace, giving them both a chance to catch up.

He'd lied about the town. He had no idea how far any town was in any direction; he'd just been trying to prevent them getting him back to the city in custody. It would be much easier to lose them out in the boonies when they would be justifiably more concerned with their own survival than with keeping tabs on him.

And though he knew he could slip away in a moment, he found himself obediently remaining in their custody. Well, mostly obedient, except for the lie about which way to go, which he decided he more than made up for by not picking the lock on his handcuffs and pulling the gun neither of them had realized he was still carrying.

He came to a dead stop, waiting until Carter was within a few steps. He saw the pale color of her lips, the tears from cold-stung eyes, the way she shivered in her fashionable but less than effective coat. He glanced at Fusco. "Give the lady your coat."

She looked at him in surprise, but only for a second before she shook her head and glanced at her partner.

Fusco rolled his eyes. "No way, I'm freezing as it is."

"You have more body fat, Lionel, you'll stay warm longer." He turned around fully to stare at Fusco. He waited a beat, and upon seeing Fusco give no indication that he was going to comply, he tried again. "I'd give her mine, but you took it away." He narrowed his eyes, his features taking on a hard edge. "Give Detective Carter your coat."

Finally, Fusco shrugged off his coat and offered it to Carter who gratefully wrapped herself in another layer. "Happy now? Leave me to freeze to death, but make sure she's comfortable."

Reese shrugged. "Come on now, Lionel, she is prettier than you, what did you expect?"

Carter smiled, her eyes catching Reese's briefly. "At least someone knows how to treat a lady."

"I don't see no ladies," Fusco grumbled.

"Behave, Lionel." Reese's voice held a note of warning, as it often did. He was trying to give the wayward detective a second chance, but there was a limit to how far it would go. The first time Fusco so much as looked at Carter the wrong way, Reese had every intention of giving him a lift to Oyster Bay.

"Thank you." Carter elbowed her partner in the side as she started to walk again.

"There something here I should know about?" Fusco looked back and forth between Reese and Carter. "You two have something going on?"

"No." Reese followed Carter's example and started walking.

But Fusco was right at his side, studying his face as though Reese would ever give anything away. "You wouldn't tell me if you did, would you?"

With a smile, Reese met Fusco's eyes. "No, I wouldn't."

#####

It was starting to get really fucking cold. Luckily, the cold wind had helped keep the pain of his bruised cheek at bay. His feet had long since gone numb. His body, protected from the merciless wet snow by only suit pants and a dress shirt, was shaking violently. Though he could hardly blame the detectives for refusing to allow him the coats they all knew had hidden weapons he wouldn't reveal, he resented that he was freezing his ass off. At least he'd forced Fusco to join him in being miserably cold and given Carter the only bit of comfort he could under the circumstances.

He resented the situation, but not her. Never her. He didn't understand it, but he'd accepted it. There was simply a part of him that felt a connection to the woman.

Apparently she felt it too, since her eyes kept lighting on him, worry furrowing her brow. She shrugged off Fusco's coat and offered it to Reese. "You need this more than I do."

Reese wasn't about to take it, but Fusco beat him to the punch, snatching his coat from her hands. "It's my god damned coat, Carter. I need it more than you too."

She grabbed it back from her partner. "Come on, Fusco, look at him. He's skinny as a damn rail and he doesn't even have a suit coat. He'll freeze to death." She took a moment, trying to wipe the concern off her face and failing entirely. "You want that on your head?"

He shrugged, his morals fickle enough to be unmoved by the death of someone whose morals were, at least in Fusco's mind, decidedly ambiguous too. "I'm not going to lose sleep over him."

Reese fixed him with a cold stare. "Lionel, I'm hurt. I thought we were friends."

Carter piped up while draping the coat over her prisoner's shoulders. "The paperwork will be a bitch."

With a frown and a shrug, Fusco gave in. "Yeah, ok, that's true."

Reese inclined his head to the side. "Thanks for the offer, detectives, but I'll be fine." His words might have been more convincing had his teeth not been chattering so hard his words were slurred. "There's an empty house and I'm staying there tonight."

The house wasn't in the best shape, but it had walls and a roof. Perhaps the best part was the brick chimney, filling Reese's head with the idea of a hot fire. He could barely wait to get there as he left the road, wading into the deeper snow covering the field, not caring how the snow soaked into his pants when there'd be warmth soon.

He didn't need to look behind him to see the indecision on the faces of his companions. They were justifiably leery of following. He was a mystery to both of them still, though he'd been quite decent to them, they were still not quite sure what to make of him. But under the circumstances, when they were all liable to freeze to death, he figured they'd decide to trust him.

Or not. It was up to them. He was going in the dilapidated house and starting a fire. They could follow him if they wanted. He suspected they would.

By the time he reached the rotted porch, the detectives were hot on his heels. He glanced at them and turned his back, shrugging off Fusco's coat and indicating his bound hands. "Someone want to take these off me?"

Fusco scoffed. Carter shook her head.

"Is one of you going to break in?"

Carter considered it for a minute, finally reaching under her hat to pull a bobby pin from her hair. "I assume this is more than you'll need?" When Reese smiled at her, she smiled back, but only for a second. She drew her gun, fixing it at chest level and passed Fusco the keys with her other hand. "You run, I will shoot you as many times as it takes to stop you."

"I'm not going anywhere until I can feel my feet, detective." He stared at her, so cold he didn't even realize his hands were uncuffed until Fusco had stepped away. He waited for them to look away, but their eyes remained on him. "You do realize you'll both be accessories to breaking and entering unless you turn around, right?" He lifted the bobby pin with a smirk at Carter. "Especially you."

She glanced at Fusco, fighting to keep a grin off her face, unable to stop herself from being amused by Reese. "I don't see anything, Fusco. Do you?"

"Nada," came the gruff reply.

"Have it your way." He turned away, bending the hairpin carefully and working it into the lock. It only took a few seconds, longer than normal since he couldn't feel his fingers, but fast enough for them to be inside the small house before anyone needed to blink.

And just as quickly, Carter was demanding Fusco cuff Reese again. She wasn't stupid either, taking the bobby pin from Reese's closed hand. "You didn't think I was going to let you keep that, did you?"

He shrugged. "I was hoping." The house was small, but he knew there were a million ways to free himself of the cuffs. There always were.

#####

Out in the woods, the night was terribly quiet. He hated it. Silence allowed his mind to wander, to dredge up so very many things he didn't want to remember. That was why he'd settled in New York City, after all. The city that never sleeps was never silent either.

It had only taken an hour or so for the fire to warm the living room. Though they'd all sat close by the fire place at first, as it had warmed them, they'd separated. Fusco, who'd volunteered for first watch, sat on the arm chair behind Reese. Carter was sleeping, curled on the sofa across from him, trusting her partner to watch their prisoner. Reese shook his head as he sat on the floor, allowing the fire to thoroughly heat him. Fusco had fallen asleep within minutes, the combination of exercise and long-overdue heat lulling him to rest. Reese had taken the first opportunity to sneak into the kitchen and free himself of the handcuffs. It was really quite amazing what one could do with magnets if they were so inclined.

Then he removed the guns from both detectives' holsters. He kept Fusco's, but only pulled the clip from Carter's, leaving both pieces on the mattress in the bedroom. He didn't really care if Fusco got in trouble; he didn't want Carter having to explain losing her gun, though.

But still, he stayed. He wasn't going to stay all night; he knew he couldn't risk it. He needed to be good and warm, hot even, before he ventured back into the storm that had let up very little.

Reese climbed to his feet, thinking about Harold and how the poor man would surely be worried out of his frantic little mind over him. Pulling on Fusco's oversized coat, he found himself leaning over the couch, draping an extra blanket over Carter while she slept.

He made it as far as the door before guilt stopped him. There was something about her, something that made him do stupid things. He crept past Fusco and knelt down beside the couch, his fingers reaching out to brush across Carter's cheek. She stirred, but didn't wake.

So he tried harder, gripping her shoulder, giving it a good shake. "Jos," he whispered, "wake up."

Her eyes blinked open immediately, a smile warming them as they met his. Her expression changed as she came fully awake, though, shock and confusion and a little fear creeping in. "What-"

"Shhh." He put a finger to her lips. "Fusco's sleeping."

She moved her head to look past him, confirming that her partner had fallen asleep on the job. "But you-" She glanced down, seeing his unlocked wrists, recognizing the pair of handcuffs he dangled out to her on one finger. "You're a regular Houdini, aren't you?"

He winked. "I have to go, but I promise I'll send someone to get you. Just don't wander out into the woods in this weather, ok?"

"You worried about me now?"

"I've always worried about you, Jos."

She looked down as a blush reddened her checks. "Any chance you're worried about my career too?"

"I'm not going to let you take me in."

"Well, I tried," she sighed, a rueful smile coming to her face.

"If I ever decide to turn myself in, I'll give you a call."

"Thanks. I appreciate it," she snickered, knowing the ridiculous statement was a compliment. Her hand moved, gently brushing across his swollen cheek. "You need to put some ice on that." She dropped her hand back onto the couch.

"I'll get right on that," he joked, figuring that another venture out into the storm would more than do the trick.

And then she was reaching out again, not quite knowing what she was intending, her fingers closing around his collar, pulling him forward until her lips pressed against his. It took a long moment before he recovered enough from the shock to even think about kissing her back, but by then she had released him, her eyes wide as the darted around, probably looking for some idea of what the hell she was doing.

He couldn't resist, didn't see any reason to, as he reached out and slid his hand into her hair, pulling her mouth back to his. His kiss was longer, more determined, more certain. His lips parted immediately, his tongue seeking entrance, a request that she granted without hesitation. It had been so long, so lonely, he could hardly remember ever feeling the sensations, the excitement, the attraction, the desire touching her produced in him. Zoe had kissed him, but he'd felt nothing for her. Sure, she'd been attractive, but that wasn't enough for him.

Carter had a pull with him, like a magnetic force that wouldn't let him walk away.

Judging from the intensity with which she returned his kiss, he knew she felt it too.

In those moments, had his brain been functioning on anything more than a primal level, he might have considered letting her take him prisoner again, if only to spend more time with her.

It was a snore from Fusco that drove them apart. They were out of breath, suddenly overheated, avoiding each other's eyes as they looked at the man, both glad to find that he was still sound asleep.

Finally, Reese turned back to meet her eyes, his hand closing over hers. "I have to go."

"I know."

He leaned in, this time only giving her a quick peck on the cheek, unable to contain his grin. "I'll see you around."

Carter's eyes widened suddenly, her hand moving to her empty holster, her face crushed with betrayal. "You took my gun."

He shook his head. "I moved it so you wouldn't have to shoot me in the back." He watched as she looked around, trying to locate it. "It's in the house and it's not hidden."

"Damn it, why do you have to do things like that?" She sounded disappointed, almost like she'd expected he'd suddenly changed.

But he held her eyes, his hand cupping her cheek. "So people like you don't have to make bad decisions."

She recognized the honesty in his eyes, the emotion he was trying to hide, and she realized he was protecting them both. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Until next time then."

"I'll look forward to it." He was at the door in a moment, knowing the warmth from their kiss would be enough to keep him going through the snow.

"Be careful, John."

He glanced back and smiled. "You too, detective."

And then he slipped out into the darkness to find his way home.


End file.
